DOMINIQUE LA HAYE, QMI Agency

OTTAWA -- The legal saga involving Canadian NHL player Shane Doan and MP Denis Coderre will be back in Montreal Superior Court on Sept. 7.

The two men are each suing the other for defamation in relation to the events of Dec. 13, 2005 during a hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and Phoenix Coyotes at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

During the game, Doan, a Coyotes forward, is alleged to have referred to four officials as "f---ing Frenchmen." That night, Doan was penalized after linesman Michel Cormier accused Doan of making racist comments towards him and his colleagues.

Doan has repeatedly denied making the comments and was eventually cleared by the NHL following an investigation.

A short time later, Coderre opposed Doan's inclusion on the 2006 Olympic hockey team headed to the Turin Games. The MP also asked Doan to explain himself and the issue eventually made its way to the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Doan filed a $250,000 defamation suit against Coderre, and the MP for Bourassa responded by filing his own $45,000 suit, also for defamation.

On Tuesday, Coderre refused to comment on the situation out of "respect for the judicial process."